In general, the present invention relates to orthopedic implants and methods for treatment of spinal defects. More specifically, the present invention is directed to an implant, an assembly, or a system including the implant, and a treatment method using the implants and assemblies for spinal fixation.
Currently many people suffer from debilitating spinal defects including, but not restricted to, spondylitis, lordosis, scoliosis, kyphosis, and ruptured discs. These defects often require surgical intervention to relieve pain and restore the patient to a relatively normal activity level. The surgical treatment often entails restoring and stabilizing the patient's spinal alignment and maintaining a desired disc space height between adjacent vertebrae. Often one or more of the individual vertebrae must be stabilized and/or affixed into a desired position relative to adjacent vertebrae. For example, the spinal column can be forced into the desired alignment during surgery. After the spinal column has been aligned, one or more spinal rods, plates, and the like, which have been pre-configured as desired, are attached to the vertebrae to hold the spinal column in the desired configuration. The treatment can be combined with a full or partial discectomy, disc replacement, spinal fusion, and/or implantation of one or more spinal spacers into the disc space. The resulting assembly of spinal rods and/or plates should be sufficiently rigid to maintain the spinal alignment for an extended period of time, perhaps indefinitely.
During a patient's normal activity, biomechanical forces on the spine tend to force the spinal column to revert to its original alignment or to adopt an alternative configuration. The connections securing the rods to the bone fasteners can slip either during or after surgery. The rods can be difficult to adjust and properly align to create the desired effect and force on the spine. Further, the rods and connectors extend or stand out apart from the vertebrae and can impinge upon and irritate adjacent tissue/organs. All these problems can thwart the surgeon's original intention of eliminating the patient's pain and restoring a patient's normal spinal configuration and load bearing ability.
There is therefore a need remaining in the relevant art for improved implants and systems for treating spinal defects. The present invention is such an improvement and provides a variety of additional benefits and advantages.